Will County sheriff’s lieutenant seeks settlement in fatal shooting lawsuit

A Will County sheriff’s lieutenant is seeking to attempt a settlement in a lawsuit filed against him over a deadly shooting at a Romeoville bank that remains under investigation after 21 months.

The May 10, 2022, fatal shooting of Gregory Walker, 65, of Crest Hill is still under investigation as of Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow’s Office. His office declined to provide further comment on the case.

Walker had been armed with a gun when he took hostages at Fifth Third Bank in Romeoville and he later died from a gunshot wound, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Dan Jungles has said Sheriff’s Lt. John Allen was the SWAT team member who fired a shot at Walker. An internal affairs investigation of the shooting has not begun because the sheriff’s office has not received any reports from Glasgow’s office or Illinois State Police, Jungles said.

Allen is trying to settle the federal lawsuit filed against him by Walker’s sister, Brenda Nash-Milton. Allen’s attorneys said in a Feb. 1 court filing that he wishes to attempt a settlement before answering the allegations in her lawsuit.

Nash-Milton’s lawsuit accused Allen of wrongfully shooting Walker in the chest while knowing he was following “law enforcement commands” and was unarmed when he agreed to exit the bank. Her lawsuit alleged her brother’s hands were in the air when he was shot.

Attorneys for Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley and the county government have already responded to the Nash-Milton’s lawsuit.

Those attorneys said they lacked “information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth” of the allegations regarding a Romeoville police crisis negotiator who persuaded Walker to allow hostages to leave the bank and surrender himself peacefully.

The attorneys also said they lacked information “to form a belief as to the truth” of the allegations that Walker was unarmed and had his hands in the air when he exited the bank and was shot by Allen.

Allen’s attorneys have once again requested U.S. District Judge Sarah Ellis suspend the proceedings in the lawsuit case. They contend the suspension would allow the parties to attempt an early settlement and prevent Allen from running into legal issues if charges are filed against him.

“While no formal criminal prosecution has been initiated, as is discussed above, it is believed that the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office is reviewing and determining whether to [criminally] prosecute Lt. Allen,” the attorneys said.

Allen’s attorneys said he does not know whether Glasgow’s office or a special prosecutor may pursue charges.

The lawsuit case was continued to April 23.